One Step Ahead
by BSparrow
Summary: The world around them may be ending with a whimper but Sheldon and Penny won't go out without a bang. /On temporary hiatus/
1. Chapter 1

"_And I looked, and behold, a pale horse and his name  
that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.  
And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the  
earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death,  
and with the beasts of the earth."_

_-Revelation 6:8_

**.x.x.x.**_  
_

* * *

Penny was not a morning person.

When she slowly opened her eyes to the morning light flooding in and saw the clock on her bedside table flashing 6:59 am in bold red numbers, she groaned. Her first thought was to go back to sleep. She was still on sick leave, she could afford to get a few more hours. She'd try to be up by noon.

But sleep wouldn't come. Something was wrong. Her apartment was eerily silent. No faint sounds of life from the building around her, no rattling pipes or flushing toilets or footsteps in the hallway. Inexplicably, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and she was suddenly wide awake.

She sat up, frozen in the middle of her bed, clutching her sheets and feeling puzzled.

It was only then that she realized that she was no longer sick. Her head was clear, her joints weren't painful, and her skin was no longer scorching with a fever. Maybe that was the problem. The sudden clarity that came over her when her fever broke must be throwing her off.

For the past few days she had been hostage to a particularly nasty flu bug that had been spreading steadily across the country. The bug had people concerned, both because of its severity and its wide reach. Not many people had caught it but it had already shown up in every state as well as Canada and Mexico. Apparently, it was also quite an odd strain of the virus and they were calling it Flu X. Penny didn't really understand the details but she knew that it had doctors puzzled.

Fortunately, she didn't know many other people who had gotten sick; just herself, a co-worker, and Mrs. Vartabedian downstairs.

Oh, and Sheldon. Yes, poor Sheldon had caught it too. He'd blamed her of course even though he had absolutely no reason to. They'd both started showing symptoms at the same time; it wasn't as if she could have infected him.

So she'd spent the last few days in hell with Sheldon, snuggled on his sofa in thick blankets as the television flashed an always-alternating but never-ending stream of sci-fi movies and reality shows. They'd sipped chicken noodle soup and hot cocoa; his spiked with marshmallows and hers with Kahlua. To kill the flu germs, she'd told him.

He'd been grumpy at first but as he got sicker, the sweet child inside of him had reared its adorable head. He'd been particularly pitiful the previous evening, asking her to help him to bed before she went home. She couldn't resist his big, blinking puppy-dog eyes. So after a heavily congested round of "Soft Kitty" and a healthy dollop of Vapo-Rub, she'd left him tucked safely in his bed and stumbled home to her own.

So it was amazing how wonderful she felt this morning; stronger than ever. She climbed out of bed and turned on the shower, deciding she might as well start her day. She'd shower off the sickly grime and then go check on Sheldon.

Penny was just stripping off her shirt when she heard him at her door.

_Knock, knock, knock. _

_Penny!_

She paused, frowning. There was something odd about his voice. She pulled her shirt back over her head and turned off the water.

_Knock, knock, knock._

_Penny!_

Fear. Desperation. That was what was different about his voice. Stumbling over discarded magazines and dirty clothes, she ran for the door with her heart suddenly pounding. She threw the door open before he could knock a third time and was floored by the sight in the hallway.

Dr. Sheldon Cooper was standing in front of her with two bulging duffel bags over his shoulders, a shotgun strapped to his back, and a handgun clutched to his chest.

Penny felt her jaw hit the floor. Oh, God. This was it. He'd finally snapped. They'd all known this day was coming. The flu had just pushed him over the edge.

She tried to shove the door closed but he rushed inside, nearly bowling her over. She squealed in surprise as he slammed the door shut behind himself and locked it with a quick flick of his wrist.

"What the hell, Sheldon? What the hell!" She demanded as he flattened himself against the door, planting against the floor as if for traction.

"Penny, this is it! This is not a drill," His eyes were wild, spinning in his head like a slot machine.

"What? Sheldon, calm down. Sheldon, where is Leonard?" She asked slowly, her mind racing as she considered how best to keep him calm until she could get help.

His gaze darted to her face and he seemed to flinch when she said Leonard's name, his jaw clenching. Some sort of realization dawned across his face as he glanced at her blank television screen. She hoped it was the return of his sanity.

"Penny, turn on the news," he said quietly, insistently.

She stared at him for a moment, frozen in place with her heart thudding against her ribcage, "Sheldon-"

"Penny! Turn on the news," Sheldon cut her off and she noticed he was trembling.

She backed away slowly, never taking her eyes off his, and fumbled for her television remote. She was still watching him as she pressed the power button.

"_This is an official broadcast from the emergency services station in Washington DC. We're reporting on widespread panic this morning over what many are calling a zombie outbreak." _

What? Penny turned to the television screen in shock, her crazy neighbor suddenly forgotten. She barely noticed as he pushed her armchair in front of the door and balanced his weapons in it, dropping his bags with a heavy thud.

"_Scenes of terror are emerging from around the country. This amateur footage out of Manhattan is shaky but it seems to show a group of people violently attacking a woman in the street and presumably murdering her before appearing to exhibit the cannibalistic behavior associated with all reported attacks. We must warn you, this footage is extremely graphic."_

Grainy cell-phone camera footage flashed across the screen. It was obviously filmed from a window a few stories above the street. Penny saw a young woman in a black dress running, stumbling on her high heels. A group of seven people pursued her with jerky, unearthly movements and frightening speed. Off camera, someone fired a gun and one of the pursuers stopped in his tracks as a bullet ripped through his chest. Penny could see the dark spray of blood. But shockingly, that didn't stop him. He started running again until another gunshot exploded his head. Then he hit the pavement like a sack of potatoes.

Penny's stomach turned violently because it wasn't enough. The others never slowed down. They overtook the woman quickly, tearing at her and dragging her down. Penny saw her mouth open in a silent scream before she disappeared beneath them.

When one of the attackers stood, clutching a bloody mass of slippery flesh in his hands, Penny gasped and looked away.

"It's fake, it's got to be fake," Penny whispered, looking to Sheldon for confirmation.

He just shook his head, jaw clenched as he stared at the television screen.

"_We have received no official confirmation, the White House has been silent this morning, but this behavior is being reported all over the US. We have every reason to believe this is a major catastrophic event. Again, reports are still coming in but experts tell us they have reason to believe this outbreak is in some way related to the recent Flu X outbreak." _

Penny only realized she was shivering wildly when Sheldon reached out a trembling hand to touch her shoulder. His expression was grim.

"Sheldon?" she asked, knowing her voice was full of questions she couldn't put into words.

"I don't know, Penny," he answered.

"_We can only urge citizens to stay inside their homes and wait for further direction. We'll bring you more information as we get it in." _

With that, Sheldon scoffed and took the remote from her. The television went black as he pressed the Power button and that eerie silence was back again.

Penny felt like she was losing her mind. How could this be happening? Zombies weren't real. She said as much to Sheldon.

"Sheldon, zombies aren't real!"

He shrugged, just a quick twitch of his bony shoulders, "Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you wholeheartedly, Penny. But the circumstances surrounding this event are extraordinary, even by my estimation. My knowledge of the current situation is limited of course, but it would appear that those infected with the virus are, in fact, exhibiting characteristics which we would normally attribute to the zombies traditionally depicted in movies such as-"

She stopped him there, "But we had the virus, Sheldon, remember? We were sick! Does that mean we're going to turn into zombies?"

He shook his head, "Quite the opposite, Penny. Based on my, admittedly limited, observation, it would seem that those who didn't exhibit symptoms of Flu X are now exhibiting violent cannibalistic behavior."

"Oh, God," Penny said softly, her eyes leaving his as she pondered this, "Nobody I knew was sick except for Gina from work and us. Oh, Sheldon…does that mean my parents are zombies? And my sister? Oh, God."

Penny covered her face with her hands as the reality of the situation sank in. Pain seemed to constrict her chest until she couldn't breathe. She couldn't even sob.

"My family wasn't sick either," Sheldon said softly, his gaze focused on the floor.

She glanced up at the sound of his voice to find him looking like a lost little boy; obviously just as heartbroken and terrified as she was. But then he shook his head and it was gone, replaced with the cold determination of the Sheldon she knew so well.

"What about Leonard?" Penny asked suddenly.

Penny watched as Sheldon gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing frantically. When his eyes finally met hers again, they were pleading.

"He's dead," Sheldon whispered.

Penny inhaled sharply, opening her mouth to ask him how, to ask him when, but the sound of an otherworldly screech from the floor above startled her into silence. It was unlike anything she'd ever heard and suddenly she knew without question that she did not want to meet the creature making that noise. She felt the prickle of goose bumps rising across her flesh as she looked to Sheldon desperately.

"I believe that was one of the infected. We've got to get out of here, Penny. If we stay here like the reporter advised we'll be overrun in no time and then there will be no escape," He explained as he rushed into her kitchen, throwing open her cabinets, "Do you have a large carrier bag, perhaps one used for sports equipment or travel?"

Spurred into action by the fear still pumping through her body, Penny didn't even question him. She dashed into her bedroom and dug her old gym bag out from under her bed. Uncertain of what to pack, she turned to call out to Sheldon and found him standing in her doorway.

"You'll need to change your clothing as well. Thick materials such as denim or leather would be a prudent choice," he informed her, crossing his arms across his chest as he took in the chaos of her bedroom.

It was only then that she noticed his attire which consisted of stiff, thick jeans that looked as if they'd never been worn before and a thick denim jacket over his favorite Green Lantern t-shirt. Her eyes lingered on the jacket; it was baggy in the shoulders and hung loose around his arms.

"It was my fathers," Sheldon said quietly to her answer her unvoiced question.

She nodded and pulled a pair of jeans out her closet, sliding them on as she fired questions at her companion, "So do you think it's like the movies? Do you think their bite can infect us?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly, placing a few boxes of granola bars he'd found in her cabinet in the bottom of her open gym bag, "My theory is that we have some sort of immunity or resistance to the virus but that doesn't mean that a bite from one of the infected wouldn't transfer enough of the virus into our bloodstreams to overcome that resistance."

"Of course you have a theory," Penny sighed, thumbing through her closet until she found her only leather jacket, "You're going to have to catch me up on it when we get out of here."

Her jacket wasn't real leather and it wasn't all that heavy but it was all she had aside from hoodies and blazers. She held it out for Sheldon's approval and he frowned, rubbing the slippery material between his thumb and index finger.

"I suppose that will have to suffice," He said hesitantly, spouting off some nonsense about fabric counts as he watched Penny slide it on before lacing up her old tennis shoes.

She shoved some extra clothes and underwear into the gym bag and then stared at him for direction, "What else should I take?"

His cold blue stare met hers, "Do you have a weapon?"

She rolled her eyes, "Of course! I'm from Nebraska!"

* * *

Her father's old gun was loaded and in hand. Her bag was filled to the brim with extra clothing, extra ammunition for her gun, an old first-aid kit she'd found in her bathroom, snacks, and water bottles. When Sheldon wasn't looking, she'd also managed to cram in her birth control, three bottles of booze, and a bag of chips. As her father was fond of saying, you could never be too prepared.

"Sheldon, won't the roads be crazy? Where are we going?" Penny asked as he picked up his bags and strapped the shotgun over his back, "And why did you have guns just lying around your apartment?"

"Penny, I've been prepared for an event such as this for years. If you had bothered to attend my preparedness drills, you would be aware of this. And as for the roads, they are likely to be nearly impenetrable. But the longer we stay here, the less probable a successful escape will be. We'll be heading for an open, rural area where we're statistically less likely to meet infected people. They'll be easier to manage in small numbers."

As he spoke she chewed her lip, toying with a thought, "Wouldn't a bigger vehicle make it easier to get through the crowded streets? Like, you know, an SUV?"

He sighed, his tone impatient, "Yes, I suppose it would. But as neither of us owns a sports utility vehicle, I don't see how that's pertinent."

Penny rolled her eyes, "No, but Mrs. Vartabedian does. You know that big Yukon or whatever her son gave her when he sold his restaurant? And she got sick too so she might be okay. We'll have to take her with us."

Sheldon processed this quickly, she could see the gears turning in that big head of his before he finally spoke.

"We'll stop by Mrs. Vartabedian's apartment on our way down. Now, are you prepared? Be quiet and be aware of your surroundings. Also, you saw the video footage earlier…aim for the head," his voice was quiet and serious.

Penny could only nod, clutch her gun, and pray that her aim was still top-notch as Sheldon slowly opened her front door. Her heart started pounding, adrenaline rushing through her veins as her body prepared to fight or flee. But the hallway was empty.

She was on edge all the way down the stairs, waiting for some staggering creature to lunge at her from around every corner. But they saw no signs of life, or death, and heard nothing.

They stopped outside Mrs. Vartabedian's apartment, Penny watching Sheldon's back as he lifted his hand and rapped his knuckles against the door. They both jumped back in surprise when the door shifted open with an ominous creak. Penny's eyes met Sheldon's and she knew what he was thinking. This didn't bode well for Mrs. Vartabedian.

Without a word, she inched forward and raised her gun to cover him. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and slowly pushed the door all the way open.

Together, they peered into the dark apartment. Nothing seemed out of place…aside from the prone body of old Mrs. Vartabedian in the middle of the floor. Penny stifled a gasp, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

The old woman was stretched out on her back just beyond the door in a pool of dark red blood, her floral nightdress ripped and torn. Penny took a hesitant step closer, pressing her lips tightly together as she quickly assessed the body. It was hard to tell for certain but it looked as if Mrs. Vartabedian's throat and abdomen had been ripped open.

Penny gagged at the sight and covered her mouth and nose to the smell of blood. She wanted to cry for the poor old lady, and for her parents and friends. But she shoved the sadness aside to deal with later and forced herself to stay alert, eyes roaming over the neat apartment. She wondered where the old lady would keep her car keys. Probably in her purse.

Sheldon turned towards Penny, his big eyes wider than she'd ever seen them. He opened his mouth to speak but no words emerged as a crash to their right made them both jump. Penny screamed as a figure leapt from the shadows with an ungodly howl and lunged for Sheldon's throat.


	2. Chapter 2

__**.x.x.x.**

* * *

_Bang! Bang, bang!_

The gun jerked in Penny's grip as she fired three rapid shots through the dim apartment. Two missed, burying themselves in the wall. The third found its target.

Time seemed to grind to a halt as the creature froze in midstride before tipping forward and tumbling onto Sheldon. The sudden impact of its weight sent him staggering backwards before he managed to shove the body away from him. It hit the floor with a sickening thud.

The room was silent again, aside from the din of their heavy breathing, but Penny could hear her own heartbeat thrumming in her ears.

Sheldon turned around slowly to face her, his face ashen. Penny just nodded sharply at him, making an effort to still the trembling of her hands.

"Let's find her car keys and get the hell out of here," she said softly, averting her eyes as Sheldon drew in a ragged breath.

He covered her as she went poking around, looking for the old woman's purse. God, she hoped it wasn't back in her bedroom or something. She couldn't stomach the idea of venturing down a dark hallway to paw at the possessions of a dead woman.

Sheldon cleared his throat, catching her attention. She glanced up to see him pointing behind her. Penny reeled around, half-expecting to get her throat ripped open, but instead found a small purse sitting on a console table by the door.

Of course.

She sighed in relief, quickly spreading the contents out across the table. Sheldon crossed the room to peer over her shoulder at the three sets of keys Penny was examining.

"Which do you think it is?" Penny asked quietly, glancing up at him.

He motioned to the only one with the attached fob, "That one but take them all just in case."

Penny nodded in agreement, scooping them up and depositing them in her pocket.

A soft shuffling commotion started behind her but before she had time to question it, she was jostled from behind and shoved into the table.

_Bang!_

It only took Sheldon one shot to drop Mrs. Vartabedian. Granted, it was at close range, but it was still impressive because this was Dr. Sheldon Cooper. With a gun. Saving her life like it was no big deal. The image of him needing Vapo-Rub and "Soft Kitty" to fall asleep just the night before flashed in her mind, so at odds with the man standing before her now.

When Penny could breathe again, she managed a weak smile and said, "Well, I guess we're even now."

Sheldon acknowledged her words with a slight incline of his head but she could tell he was distracted.

"And I guess we know for sure about the bites," Penny added in a smaller voice, chewing her lip.

"I suppose so," Sheldon said thoughtfully, "I suppose so."

* * *

Surprisingly, they made it to the ground floor before they were attacked again.

A lone creature rushed them as they stepped out of the stairwell. They both stumbled backwards, tripping over the stairs and firing wildly. By some miracle, at least one of them managed to hit the creature before it sank its teeth into them.

The sunlight streaming into the lobby gave Penny her first good look at the havoc the infection wrought on the body of the infected. As Sheldon peered out into the parking lot, no doubt calculating things like distance or velocity or something, she studied the motionless form on the ground before her. It was a neighbor, someone she knew and saw at the mailboxes regularly, but she barely recognized the woman.

Her skin was so pale that the veins running through her body stood out prominently; purple and engorged. Blood was caked around her lips and seemed to be trickling from her ears but Penny wasn't sure if that was from the virus or from the gunshots.

But the most startling feature was her eyes. The whites of her eyes were blood red and the iris was almost entirely black. The effect was so disturbing and so far from human that Penny felt her stomach twist violently.

"Sheldon, the eyes…" she whispered, slapping a hand over mouth in an attempt to keep her stomach from expelling its contents.

"Yes, I know," he replied without even turning around.

She wondered how he knew. When had he gotten such a good look at their eyes? Then it occurred to her…Leonard.

"Oh," she gasped as the weight of the realization finally hit her.

He finally glanced her way, his expression unreadable, but the muscles around his temple were twitching. Her heart ached, both for Sheldon and for herself. But she knew this was still not the time to dwell on all that was lost. That would have to wait.

"Well, what is it, what does it mean?" she asked finally, swallowing the aching lump in her throat.

"It appears to be severe subconjunctival hemorrhaging accompanied by complete mydriasis, symptoms often associated with trauma or damage to the brain."

"English, Sheldon," Penny sighed.

He rolled his eyes and translated, "Bleeding in the eye and blown pupils."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh," Sheldon mocked her, but his voice held no edge as he continued, "Penny, we need to leave now."

She nodded as she turned to look out into the parking lot. Two of the infected were milling around aimlessly. The first she recognized as the building manager but the other was a stranger.

"We should reload," she said, not surprised when she glanced over at Sheldon to find him already kneeling over his bag to retrieve a box of ammunition.

* * *

Penny exploded out of the door first, putting a bullet through the right eye of the building manager with her second shot and dropping him where he stood. The other creature stumbled over the fallen body of the first and Sheldon took care of him on the run.

Penny's heart was pounding in time with her footsteps against the pavement, her skin warmed by the morning sun. She was almost there, so close, so close.

She spared a glance back at Sheldon to see him jogging awkwardly under the weight of his unwieldy bags and guns. His eyes darted around the parking lot cautiously until they fell on her. He offered her a nervous smile, the fingers of his free hand worrying the strap across his chest.

She couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth in return. They were almost there, almost safe. A warm sensation bloomed in her chest, a sense of relief, as she swiveled her focus back towards the Yukon.

And that giddy feeling disappeared in a puff of smoke as she skidded to a halt, nearly toppling over one of the infected as it rounded the front of the vehicle.

There was a blinding white flash of panic as it launched itself towards her. She fired instinctively as it knocked her on her back, forcing the air out of her lungs. Struggling for breath, she felt its fingers clawing at her skin as its dripping teeth seemed to inch towards her in slow motion. Wrestling an arm free, she shoved the barrel of the gun up into its mouth. Bloodied teeth cracked against cold metal as she squeezed the trigger. For a long moment, she thought nothing had happened. Bathed in icy fear, she squeezed again.

And it slumped over on the pavement next to her. She shot to her feet, lungs burning for air. Distantly, she heard someone screaming her name. Even more distantly, she could hear the thrumming sound of footsteps slapping against pavement…many footsteps.

She didn't look back as she lunged for the door, the metal of the handle biting into her palm as she wrenched it open. She hurled herself behind the wheel, tossing her bag into the backseat as she dragged the door closed behind her.

Only then did she let herself look back towards the street. The sight sent a chill skittering down her spine.

Dozens of infected pouring into the parking lot, dark eyes frenzied as they headed straight for the only things with a heartbeat. Oh my God, those things could haul ass. Where the fuck was Sheldon?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, he pried open the passenger side door and tried to dive inside only to be held back by the bulging bags over his shoulders.

"Sheldon, they're coming!" she screeched, scrambling to shove the key into the ignition with trembling fingers.

He struggled wildly and one of the bags slipped off his shoulder, allowing him to fall inside the vehicle. He managed to right himself in the seat and then, amazingly, leaned back out to retrieve his fallen bag.

"Shut the door, Sheldon! Shut the fucking door!"

He only leaned farther, his whole body straining painfully to stretch his fingers just a few more inches.

"Sheldon!" she screamed again, jamming her finger down frantically on the lock button as the engine roared to life.

In the rearview mirror she watched as one of the infected charged around the back of the car, heading straight for Sheldon.

With a grunt, he extended himself just far enough to slide his fingers under the strap and drag the bag up into his lap. He slammed the door closed just before the infected creature slammed into the glass, its grotesque face distorted and blood oozing down the window.

Sheldon turned towards Penny with wild eyes, "Let's go!"

Penny slammed the Yukon into reverse and floored it. The large vehicle lurched backwards, tires squealing as she jerked the wheel around to aim for the exit. Over the roar of the engine she could hear sickening thuds and crunches of bodies being crushed beneath her tires. The rear end of the Yukon jerked up at odd angles over the fleshy speed bumps. For at least the third time in an hour, she thought she was going to vomit.

Sheldon took note of her pallid face and twisted the volume dial on the radio up as far as it would go, hoping to drown out the stomach-churning noise of death and destruction.

The soothing sounds of Pat Boone filled the vehicle.

* * *

The roads weren't as bad as she'd expected. She figured that most people had been at home when they woke up dead and the living were staying put like they'd been advised. Sure, almost every street was still horrible and treacherous but she told herself that it could have been worse.

Her little car would have never made it but the Yukon soldiered through admirably. It was big enough to nudge the smaller obstructions aside and tall enough to climb curbs and sidewalks without a problem. Penny was proud of the monstrous vehicle. Sheldon was not so thrilled.

He had wrestled on his seatbelt as soon as they'd made their way out of the parking lot.

"Really, Sheldon?"

"It's the law, Penny. If we ignore our nations established laws at a time like this, our society will descend into chaos," his voice was steady but his fingers on the belt were trembling.

"Look around, Moon Pie. It's already chaos."

It was barely 9 am on the first day of the outbreak and the city was already in shambles. They passed buildings that were burning out of control with no one around to stop them. Penny's mind wandered; she wanted to ask Sheldon why fires always went hand-in-hand with chaos. Did people set them or did they just happen? Why would a zombie set a building on fire?

But she kept her mouth shut because he was obviously lost in thought, staring out the window and pointing out even the most obvious obstacles.

"Penny, there's a car in the road ahead of us."

"Yes, Sheldon, I see it."

"Penny, it seems that a multi-vehicle pileup is obstructing this road. Perhaps we should turn around."

"You're probably right, Sheldon."

"Penny, I believe that we are being pursued by a horde of hungry zombies. It may be best to ignore the posted speed limit at this time."

"Okay, Sheldon."

And Pat Boone sang on.

* * *

For a while it seemed that Sheldon and Penny were the only people still alive in Pasadena.

But near the city limits, they ran across one living, non-infected person. It was a middle-aged woman with red hair, wearing a black t-shirt and faded jeans. Penny would never forget her face; it was burned into her memory…the way her eyes were wide with blind panic, how her mouth contorted grotesquely in a desperate plea for help. But what really killed Penny was that she was hopeful. When she caught sight of them, Penny thought she could see hope in her eyes.

Penny had slammed on brakes, startling Sheldon out of his mental calculations. He saw the woman immediately.

"Penny, keep driving!" he urged, his fists clenching and unclenching in his lap, "Look away, Penny!"

But Penny couldn't tear her eyes away from the woman. She was staggering towards them, shadowed closely by two of the infected. Penny reached down to unlock the doors but Sheldon's steely grip around her wrist stopped her. The woman stumbled closer.

"Sheldon, we have to help her! She's still alive!" Penny protested hysterically even as she caught sight of the bloody bite wound on the woman's neck.

"No, Penny, she's already dead and if you let her in this vehicle, we're dead too."

He was right. Goddamnit, she knew he was right.

It took all of Penny's strength to press her foot down on the gas and drive away. Rage and sadness clawed at her heart and tears singed her throat but Sheldon talked her through it, his words flying at her so rapidly they blended into a sort of soothing white noise. She thought about thanking him but some part of her knew he was talking for his benefit as well as her own.

Penny forced herself not to look in the rearview mirror until she was positive they had long since left the woman behind. But she still saw her; she figured she always would.


	3. Chapter 3

**.x.x.x.**

* * *

"We wouldn't be in this situation if only you had followed my suggested route."

Penny glared over at him over her bag of contraband chips, "The route you told me to take was completely blocked, Sheldon!"

His expression was somewhere between smug and bitter as he finished his dry granola bar, "Yes, I am aware of that. I am referring to the alternate route suggested in Section 9-A of the contingency plan."

"The what?"

Now he looked offended, "Penny! You told me you read it!"

"What? When?"

"When I gave it to you."

"Uh, when was that Sheldon?" she asked, growing exasperated.

"Approximately four years, ten months, and six days ago. It was on a Tuesday, after your shift at the Cheesecake Factory, and you said-"

"What? What the hell, Sheldon! How did you have a plan for this five years ago?"

"It wasn't a plan specific to the situation, it was an all-inclusive multi-situation survival handbook," he explained matter-of-factly.

"Oh God, of course it was. Well, I'm sorry but I didn't read it."

"You lied!" he looked taken aback; he was definitely insulted now.

"Yeah but I said I was sorry!" Penny whined, popping another Sour Cream and Onion chip into her mouth.

He sighed in resignation, "Well, never mind. I have a copy here for you to consult."

He rooted around in his bag and produced a disturbingly thick folder.

"Uh, Sheldon, I don't think we have time for that right now. Just tell me what you think we should do. Should we wait until morning before trying to find a way around this?"

They both stared out the windshield at the pile of twisted, smoking metal reflected in the yellow glow of the Yukon's headlights. A massive pileup underneath an overpass completely blocked the road ahead. It was the worst they'd seen yet.

"Stopping for the evening was not in my plans, Penny," he frowned, fingering the edge of the folder and looking alarmingly obstinate.

"Yeah, well sometimes the plan needs to go out the window, Sheldon," Penny sighed, truly exasperated now.

"What?" he looked scandalized, hands flapping nervously, "No, the plan should never go out the window, the plan should stay securely fastened in the appropriate folder-"

"Sheldon!" She suddenly reached over and smacked the folder out of his lap, "You can't plan for everything! You've got to let things go!"

He looked at her with a mixture of surprise and horror, flinching away from her as he scrambled to retrieve the fallen folder. She felt her anger rising as she shoved at him again, more forcefully, her chips spilling out onto the floorboard.

"My God, just loosen up! Loosen up, Sheldon!"

A part of her brain knew she was being horrible and irrational. But she couldn't stop, it was too much. It was all too much. He tried to push her hands away, his cheeks growing red and his jaw clenched tight. Finally, he exploded.

"Penny!"

She stopped, her hands frozen in mid-air. Her jaw dropped open at the anger in his voice.

"Penny, I don't want to loosen up," he took a deep breath before continuing, "I am able to control very little about my everyday life when it consists simply of going to work, visiting the comic book store, and eating Thai food. Variables always get in the way. Now that my only immediate goal in life is to survive, and the variables involved are flesh-eating zombies, I am able to control even less of it but I can still try-"

"Sheldon," Penny tried to interrupt him, already feeling awful, "I-"

He held up a hand to stop her and continued when she fell quiet, "A rigorous schedule gives me a sense of relief and satisfaction. I am aware that someone with your inclination to impulsivity could never fully comprehend this attachment to scheduling but please, allow me this."

His voice was unsteady and he wouldn't look at her but his tone allowed no room for argument. Her guilt increased tenfold and she felt so ashamed that she could just die when she realized what he was saying. He needed some sense of control just to deal with everyday life and now that he couldn't control anything, he took comfort in his maps and silly plans.

"Okay, Sheldon," she said softly, holding back the tears she knew would freak him out, "I'm sorry."

He sighed and Penny looked at him, really looked at him for the first time since the whole thing started. Maybe for the first time ever.

She was surprised at what she saw. His jawline was growing dark with stubble and his big eyes were hooded, heavy with fatigue. He looked older and more world-weary than she'd ever imagined he could look. He looked…human.

Suddenly, he wasn't just an overgrown child or a giant praying mantis or a robot or any of that. He was a man who was exhausted, a man who had been forced to kill his best friend after watching him turn into a zombie. But most of all, he was a man who was afraid of death.

"Sheldon, sweetie," she patted his shoulder to get his attention and his eyes slid towards her cautiously, "Why don't you climb in the back seat and see if you can get some sleep?""

"That would be imprudent," he frowned, "What if the enemy surrounds us, leaving no opportunity for escape?"

"Well, I'm not sleepy. I'll keep a look out."

He stared at her for a long moment before giving her a single nod, "Very well."

She watched him twist around to glance at the backseat as if he was making calculations. He reached back to carefully move their bags and his shotgun into the floorboard and then, with one relatively fluid movement, he gripped the two seats and maneuvered his long frame over them. When she turned around to look at him, he was curled up on the seat with his hands cushioning his head and his knees bunched up nearly to his chest.

For a moment, he watched her watching him.

"Sheldon, why didn't we stay at home? Didn't you have all kinds of supplies in your apartment?" she asked softly the question that had been nagging her since early that morning.

He was silent for so long that she began to think he wasn't going to answer her.

"I couldn't bring myself to stay there after…" he finally said in a quiet voice, his eyes staring hard at her hand on the center console.

Before today, she would never have expected Dr. Sheldon Cooper to allow emotions to take precedence over carefully laid plans. God, before today, she would never have expected Dr. Sheldon Cooper to even have emotions. But that was part of being human and she was slowly realizing that Sheldon was most definitely human.

"Do you want to tell me what happened…you know, with L-Leonard?" she stumbled over his name, feeling a twinge in her gut at the thought of her lost friends, "It might help to talk about it…"

"No."

Another long moment of silence passed. She turned back to see him still awake, still looking in her general direction.

"Soft Kitty?" she suggested, trying to keep her tone light.

The slightest hint of a smile curled across his lips but he didn't respond; he just closed his eyes.

When the soft sounds of his breathing evened out, Penny dug into her bag until her fingers hit cold glass. She cracked open the bottle and took a few long gulps, just to get her mind right for the long night ahead.

* * *

Penny opened her eyes groggily, groaning at the painful crick in her neck. Ugh, that was going to be a pain in the ass at work. She lifted her head slowly, intending to check the time on her alarm clock. But instead of her bedroom, she found herself staring out of a windshield and into the foggy, grey morning.

Oh.

A slight movement to her left caught her attention and she glanced over-

-and screamed, for all she was worth.

Red and black eyes, dried blood caked around cracked lips.

The face pressed against the glass approximately two inches from her own was so horrifying and distorted that she barely recognized it as human. It raised a heavy fist and pounded it against the glass.

She screamed again and scrambled away, barely aware of the hard console ramming into the small of her back.

Sheldon sat bolt upright in the backseat. Penny was gasping, feeling around blindly for her gun.

"Penny, shooting him is not the most sensible course of action in this situation. You'll shatter the window. Just start the car," Sheldon ordered calmly, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Oh fuck, Sheldon!" she cried, scrambling to start the car with one hand as she continued to feel around for her gun with the other.

Her shaky fingers knocked the keys from the ignition and into the darkness beneath her feet. The pounding of the fist against the glass over her head didn't let up.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" she gasped, her fingers touching both the gun and her keys at the same time.

And then the glass shattered.

Penny screamed, again, and rolled over the gearshift and into the passenger seat as wildly grasping fingers brushed against her flesh. Luckily for her, the creature was a stout man who struggled to climb through the high window of the SUV. It bought her just enough time.

"Stay down," Sheldon's quiet voice ordered from behind her.

She heard the tell-tale click of him chambering a round in the shotgun as she ducked her head. The creature launched its upper body through the window, snarling and bellowing like a wild animal.

Then her ears rang with the resounding explosion of a shotgun shell burrowing its way through a skull and splattering its contents outwards. Blood and brains and bone fragments sprayed across the windshield and dashboard.

Then it was so quiet that Penny could hear birds chattering from the trees outside. It seemed strange to her that, with all the death and chaos, nature was going on as normal.

She turned to see Sheldon staring at the bloodied windshield in disgust, still gripping the shotgun he'd propped up across the back of the driver's seat.

"How did you even manage to maneuver that big thing around back there?" she asked with the slightest hint of a smirk, all too aware of the double entendre, even at a time like this.

He shot her his patented look of derision, "Penny, when you understand the laws of physics-"

She rolled her eyes and cut him off, "Yeah, yeah, anything is possible. I've heard."

He snorted and she couldn't stop the slightly hysterical giggle that escaped from between her lips.

"Penny, I can't stay in here with that…mess on the windshield."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're going to need a new car, Sheldon," her giggle tumbled into a laugh.

* * *

And so they ventured out into the unknown, weighed down by bags and guns but mostly be fear. It dogged Penny's every step and she could practically feel it breathing down her neck. She'd never felt as vulnerable as she did now, tiptoeing around out in the open like a prey animal.

They scrambled up the grassy hillside sloping up to the overpass. Penny scrambled over the concrete girders first and took in the view.

Beyond the highway she could see the sun climbing over a hillside, hazy in the distance. The sky was brightening, orange and pink streaking through the murky gray, but ghostly patches of fog still lingered over the highway.

Sheldon appeared at her side, slightly out of breath.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" She asked just to have something to say.

As she rubbed her hands over her arms to chase away the early morning chill, she watched his shoulders twitch upwards in a shrug. Without replying, he took a few steps past her to observe the highway stretching ahead below them. She was taking a step forward to join them when she heard it.

They both spun towards the sound of footsteps echoing through the quiet morning but it was too late.

The hit was vicious enough to send Sheldon flying. He landed hard on his back; his bags sliding away and his gun skittering across the pavement.

Penny aimed quickly and fired, hitting the creature in the shoulder. It barely slowed the thing down.

Sheldon managed to brace his arms against the creature's chest, angling them so its gnashing teeth couldn't reach him. Penny saw his muscles straining, his teeth gritting, and she knew he wouldn't be able to hold it for long.

She fired again and the bullet went over the creature's head, just grazing the skin and raising a dark ooze of blood that crept down its forehead.

The creature bellowed but continued to struggle against Sheldon wildly, thrashing and clawing.

Penny aimed again, shivering violently as adrenaline rushed through her veins. She was terrified of missing again, of hitting Sheldon.

Before she could fire, Sheldon's arms gave out and the creature lunged forward. She watched as it bit into Sheldon, teeth tearing through denim. It reared its head back and ripped a sizable chunk out of his shoulder.

Penny felt as though her heart had been ripped from her chest. All of the air rushed out of her lungs as time slowed to a crawl. And suddenly, she was perfectly calm. A steely determination settled over her, heavy on her shoulders. Fingers sure, she aimed her gun. Her eyes and mind were clear as she pulled the trigger and put a bullet through the creature's temple.

It slumped over onto the pavement, a scrap of denim fluttering out of its jaws.

Penny didn't even realize she was crying until the image of Sheldon on the pavement in front of her swam in her eyes. She ran to him, collapsing onto the ground beside him and paying no mind to the rough asphalt biting into her knees.

He looked up at her, eyes wide and terrified.

"Oh, God, Sheldon, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, her hands grasping at him for dear life.

His lips were moving but no sound was coming out. He sat up suddenly and frantically pushed his torn jacket aside.

His t-shirt wasn't even ripped. No bloody bite wound, no torn flesh. The baggy jacket had saved his life.

Penny felt faint with relief. Fresh tears streaming down her face, she lurched forward and awkwardly grabbed Sheldon up in a hug. He was too stunned to pull away but his muscles were tight under her hands. She cradled his body against hers fiercely, so comforted by the warmth radiating off his skin that she never wanted to let him go. She could feel his heart thrumming rapidly through the bony cage of his ribs.

"I thought-I thought…" she trailed off, her voice muffled against his neck.

Arms loose around her, he gave her a clumsy pat on her back.

His voice was rough when he finally choked out, "We don't have time for this, Penny. We still need to find a vehicle."

* * *

It took some time and several more run-ins with the undead but they managed to find a new mode of transport.

It was a silver Toyota Tundra pickup parked haphazardly at a gas station about a mile down the highway. The key was still in the ignition and the door was wide open. There was a shattered cellphone and a pretty substantial pool of blood just outside the driver's door so it seemed pretty obvious to Penny what had happened.

Together, they dispatched four lingering undead before it was safe for Penny to hurry inside the station and flip on the gas pump. After she assured him it wasn't illegal if there was no one alive to take their money, they filled up the truck and two big red gas containers before they saw a small pack heading their way.

"We have got to be the luckiest people in the world to find this truck here, Sheldon!" Penny was cheerful as she slid behind the wheel, locked the doors, and started up the Toyota without a hitch.

He took that opportunity to ramble on for ten minutes about luck being a foolish concept, adding that, even if he did believe in it, he wouldn't attribute their success to anything other than his careful planning.

Penny just rolled her eyes and maneuvered them back out onto the highway, leaving the zombies behind in her rear-view mirror.


	4. Chapter 4

**.x.x.x.**

* * *

"I need to use the bathroom, Penny."

He said it out of the blue as they were flying down the empty highway, interrupting Penny's stunning a cappella rendition of "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. She glanced over to see him pointing emphatically at a lonely gas station just up the road.

It was the first sign of life they'd seen since they'd skirted around Phoenix earlier that day.

"Really? Right now?" she asked, sighing as she pushed Mrs. Vartabedian's sunglasses up over her forehead to get a good look at him.

He didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed as he said, "Yes, Penny. My standard 7 am bowel movement has been postponed for an unacceptable amount of time and I fear it's bound to wreak havoc on my gastrointestinal health."

"Eww, too much information, Sheldon! God, you know, maybe you should just cut back on the fiber bars."

"Penny," he said simply, raising a brow until she reluctantly slowed down.

"Okay, fine. Maybe I can find a Honey-Bun at this one," she said as they coasted into the dusty parking lot, "I don't know why you're wasting our time though; you're never actually going to use a gas station bathroom."

They pulled up outside of the decrepit old station and peered through the windshield at the sight before them. Even in the blinding midday sun, it managed to look dark, foreboding, and kind of like it was going to collapse if they so much as touched the door.

"You know there's totally going to be zombies in there, right?" Penny said, already resigned to her fate of playing Sheldon's potty-break bodyguard.

Sheldon was examining the grubby storefront doubtfully, "At the moment, I'm more concerned by the high level of dust that is likely to be found on every conceivable surface inside that building. It's going to wreak havoc on my allergic rhinitis."

"Oh man, isn't that a lot of havoc for one body to take?"

He just pursed his lips and unfastened his seat belt, hardly even protesting when she reached over to ruffle his hair.

* * *

It turned out Penny was right. They didn't even make it to the door before one of the infected stumbled out and heaved itself at them. It was an old man in overalls that sort of reminded Penny of her grandpa so she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt when she put a bullet in his head.

"Poor old man," she whispered to herself, stepping over his body as she followed Sheldon up to the door.

"It's not a man anymore, Penny," he corrected her patiently, maybe a little distractedly, as they peeked inside the tiny station.

It was unusually dark inside. Their eyes were still adjusting to the sudden change in lighting when the next creature sprang towards them, forcing them back against a rickety display of chips. The bags tumbled to the floor, crunching and popping underfoot as the two of them fired instinctively at the shrieking creature. Penny felt, rather than saw, her bullet bury itself in the creature's chest as she slipped on a bag of Doritos and toppled over onto the floor.

Though sloppy, her efforts did slow the creature down long enough for Sheldon to put a bullet into its brain. It hit the ground in front of Penny; its slightly disfigured head close enough for her to see that it was an old woman. Blood so dark and thick it was almost black oozed towards her foot and Penny jerked it away.

"Fuck," she wheezed into the quiet darkness.

She could already feel the pain radiating through her ankle.

She tried to climb to her feet but the pain only intensified. She cursed again as she dropped back onto her ass amidst the spilled chips.

"What's the matter, Penny?" Sheldon was busy scanning the store for more creatures.

"I'm hurt."

"What?" he was suddenly at her side looking all breathless and twitchy, "Have you been bitten?"

"No! No, not like that. I hurt my ankle when I fell," she explained, rubbing her fingers against the aching joint.

He seemed to be relieved.

"Oh, yes, well, I'm not surprised. It was a rather ungainly display," he gasped out a chuckle as he extended his hand towards her.

She just looked at it for a moment, wondering what he could possibly want from her. He waggled his fingers impatiently. Oh, right.

She grabbed his big, warm hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet, careful to keep her weight off her bum ankle.

He turned to walk away and she cleared her throat, "Uh, Sheldon? Aren't you going to help me?"

"I'll examine your injury in just a moment but first things first, Penny," he stalked off to the bathroom with her clumsily hopping along behind him to keep a look out.

She was dreading the moment he got his first look at the restroom but to her complete and utter shock, he peeked through the door and said, "Oh, Penny, it is immaculate! Look, they even have a bottle of Lysol on the sink! Oh, that is handy."

* * *

Of course, Sheldon's precious bathroom break took forever. Even though the old couple apparently kept things pretty clean, which Penny thought was ironic considering the state of the place, he had to scrub the whole bathroom over with the Lysol and a handful of paper towels before his ablutions could commence.

Penny could feel her ankle swelling with every passing minute.

And now he had her sitting on the hood of the Tundra, running his long fingers over the swollen joint and looking down at it with his brows furrowed. She winced, partly because of the pain and partly because she was just remembering that her legs hadn't been shaved in days.

He didn't seem to notice, his fingertips pressing into her tender flesh as he made a thoughtful "hmm" sound.

"Well?" she finally prodded.

"Considering your medical history, the level of swelling, and the joint's relative stability, I would say you have a partially torn ligament," he informed her, his warm hand still wrapped around the ankle in question.

"Huh?"

"Sprained ankle," he translated quickly, "Ice and elevation would aid in the recovery but as neither of those is likely to be forthcoming, I suppose I'll settle for wrapping it and administering a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic such as Tylenol or aspirin."

"Oh, okay," Penny wrinkled her nose as she reached down to massage the throbbing joint, her fingertips brushing against his.

Sheldon's hand jerked away, almost as if he was surprised to find that he was still touching her. He cleared his throat.

"I will need some material with which to wrap it," he informed her, his vigilant eyes scanning their surroundings, "I believe it is highly unlikely that this establishment would stock braces or bandages."

Penny looked down at her clothing and frowned, "We kind of need all the fabric we can get don't we?"

He nodded. Without much thought, two sets of eyes slid towards the old lady lying inside the station in a baggy dress. Sheldon eyes jumped back to Penny's and his brows shot up.

Hmm.

Penny shuddered, "No, no, it would be too weird. No."

They settled for turning one of her t-shirts into a crop top. It wasn't the best brace but Sheldon pronounced it "better than nothing" as he knotted it in place, surprising her with the sudden reemergence of his Texas drawl.

"This is going to be a pain in the ass, I can already tell. It's so going to slow us down," Penny sighed, glaring down at her makeshift pink brace and feeling irritated with her own body for betraying her.

"A set of crutches to assist in supporting your weight would be helpful in increasing mobility," Sheldon added good-naturedly, peering down at his handiwork before patting it gently when he was satisfied.

Penny felt a sort of warm, blooming feeling in her chest at his thoughtful, at least for Sheldon, treatment of her injury. But she couldn't resist teasing him.

"Will you be my crutch?" she smiled coyly up at him, enjoying the way his blue eyes grew wide.

"Penny, as a human crutch I would be virtually useless! Our heights are too varied for satisfactory weight distribution and for it to be an adequate substitution you would need-"

She cut him by placing her hand on his chest, "Sheldon, I was just kidding," he looked confused so she continued, "You know, I was messing with you about you getting all pressed up against me to support my weight…"

She wiggled her brows to emphasize her meaning and watched his cheeks redden. She wasn't sure if he understood her or not but he hurried off into the station to fetch the Tylenol.

* * *

"If I do get bit do you promise to put a bullet in my head?" Penny asked thoughtfully, still sitting on the hood of the car while Sheldon toyed with the station's lone gas pump.

He had decided to stockpile some more gasoline while it was available but unfortunately, the ancient pump wasn't being cooperative.

He paused, glancing up at her with a wry smile, "Of course."

"I'm serious, Sheldon," she tapped the gun in her hand against the warm metal of the hood, lost in thought, "I don't ever want to be one of them, not even for a minute."

He sighed, standing up and wiping his hands with a paper towel, "Penny, I promise to deliver a swift and effective execution should you ever become infected. And I expect you to reciprocate the favor."

Their eyes met and she felt something icy cold grip her heart at the thought of putting a bullet in Sheldon's brain, "I don't know if I could do that, Sheldon."

He frowned at her, crouching again as he wiggled the nozzle into the gas tank, "Why? You're remarkably skilled with a firearm. But I suppose I am quite cunning and far more-"

"No, because it would be different…it would be you," she interrupted, biting her lip.

He opened his mouth to respond, his expression unreadable, but then his eyes landed on something behind her and he said softly, "Incoming."

Penny spun around to find a man shuffling across the road in their direction. At that moment, he lifted his head and seemed to catch their scent on the breeze. He sniffed the air, then shrieked and lurched forward.

Behind her, Sheldon was mumbling about the inherent dangers in discharging firearms near gasoline but Penny raised her gun, drew a bead on the creature's head and pulled the trigger. She expected her shot to drop him in mid-stride but…nothing happened.

Fear flared in the pit of her stomach and tasted bitter on her tongue as she squeezed the trigger again to no avail.

"Sheldon!" she screamed, scrambling down off the hood without a thought to her injury as the creature rapidly closed the distance between them.

He rose to his feet, pulled his gun, and fired without blinking as the creature began to vault right over the truck. There was a crackling blast, a spray of blood, and a thump as the creature slumped over the hood.

Then there was silence. They both stared at the blood seeping down the hood of the Tundra as their heart rates slowly returned to normal. Then Sheldon turned to her and yanked the revolver from her trembling hands. He gave her an appraising glare as he spun the chamber with sure fingers.

Then he stared down at the gun in his hand for a long moment before his eyes flashed to hers, "The gun is not loaded, Penny."

All of a sudden she felt faint, "W-what?"

"The gun is not loaded," he said slowly, his expression alarmingly blank.

Penny opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't find the words to say. She found herself just staring at him in shock.

"Penny," she nearly jumped out of her skin as the gun dropped from his fingers and clattered against the pavement, "Penny, the gun was not loaded. How could you forget to reload your gun?"

"I-I'm sorry, Sheldon, I-" she began, her muddled brain grasping for an explanation as he cut her off by grabbing her by the arms.

She only realized she was shivering when his hands wrapped around her upper arms, "Apologies are extraneous at this moment, Penny. Do you comprehend the magnitude of our situation? You could have been bitten!"

She nodded, feeling her face grow hot and tears welling up in her eyes.

His expression softened and he released his grip on her arms. She fell against his chest, wrapping her arms around his body. After a moment, she felt his arms close around her.

"Don't be sorry, Penny, just don't let it happen again," he suddenly sounded as exhausted as she felt.

She nodded, looking up at him through watery eyes with her chin pressed against his collarbone and her fingers clasped behind his back. He looked down at her, his eyes searching her face.

If her face hadn't been so close to his, she would have completely missed the sudden change in his expression. It was almost imperceptible; the softening of his eyes, the slight furrowing of his brows, his mouth falling open to allow his warm breath to ghost across her skin. She recognized it as a dawning of understanding, some sort of epiphany.

And then she was easing up onto her toes and her lips were on his. And even though it was brief, so brief, and he wasn't even ready for it and his lips were tight against his teeth, she felt something there. Some little spark, or zap, or shock. Some tingle. Something electric.

He didn't kiss her back but he didn't pull away. Instead it was Penny who pulled back, her ankle protesting the abuse vociferously, because she heard something even over the sizzling in her brain.

Tires humming on asphalt.


	5. Chapter 5

**.x.x.x.**

* * *

Wow.

Just…_wow_. Did that really just happen?

Sheldon blinked down at her, his eyes wide but his expression blank.

Oh, shit, she'd probably broken him. He'd probably never move again and she'd have to leave him here to wither away in this dusty parking lot. Either that or things were going to get totally weird between them because she had definitely enjoyed that chaste little kiss more than she should have.

But she'd have to worry about that later, right now there were more pressing matters at hand.

"We've got company, Sheldon," she finally managed to say; taking a step away from him just so she could catch her breath.

He just blinked again.

She turned towards the highway and saw their visitor was driving an old red pickup. She waved her hand over her head in greeting, hopping towards the road with a sort of manic energy.

"Penny, wait!" Sheldon finally managed to choke out, turning to face her, "It could be dangerous! The occupants of that vehicle could have malicious intentions!"

She waved off his concerns as the pickup slowed and turned into the parking lot, rolling to a stop next to the Tundra. The man in the driver's seat eyed them suspiciously for a moment before cracking the window. Penny smiled politely.

"Is it safe?" he asked, eyes flicking from her to the dead zombie across the hood of the truck and back again.

"Yeah," she glanced back at the carnage, "Well, pretty safe I guess. We've taken out three here so far."

He nodded and turned off the truck, climbing out to stretch as if he'd been behind the wheel for a long time. Penny was kind of surprised when Sheldon suddenly appeared at her side, looking a bit twitchy and shell-shocked but nothing too extreme. That was a good sign.

"You're the first people we've seen since we left home," the man told her as he stepped forward to extend his hand, "Well, the first live people anyway. I'm Rick."

"I'm Penny and this is Sheldon," she replied, beaming at the man as she shook his rough hand, "You're the first we've met since we left Pasadena."

"Really?" he looked shocked, "That bad, huh?"

"Well, we saw some signs of life here and there but no, we haven't actually seen anyone this whole time," Penny shook her head.

"We left Carlsbad early yesterday morning," Rick said, looking back towards the truck thoughtfully, "I figured it was time to go when my neighbor crashed through my living room window and tried to eat my daughter."

Penny gasped, "Oh my God, that's horrible."

He looked back at her with suddenly haunted eyes, "That ain't the worst of it…my wife and older daughters…they…"

Penny nodded, reaching out to touch his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat and motioned back at the truck, "So, uh, Sasha and me are headed to Indio to look for my brother."

Penny peered into the truck, "Sasha's your daughter?"

He nodded and continued, "My brother was sick too, you know, before all of this. Were you two sick?"

Sheldon answered this time, explaining his theory as Penny stuck her head through the window of the truck. A tiny child, maybe six years old, looked back at her. She was all big eyes and wispy bangs, curled up behind a pillow with a faded Little Mermaid pillowcase.

"Hi," Penny said softly, smiling down at her.

Sasha didn't smile back, why would she? She just hid her face in the pillow.

Sheldon was busy explaining their route and the state of the roads in California. She was pleasantly surprised to see that his mental functions had seemingly returned to normal. She'd worried that she might have short-circuited him.

His eyes flicked towards her and she saw a muscle in his jaw twitch before he looked away again quickly.

"So, Indio huh? We're headed to-" she broke off and looked up at Sheldon, "Wait, where are we headed to? You just keep saying 'east, Penny, east'!"

He rolled his eyes, "If you had bothered to consult the-" she glared at him and he looked away nervously, "Notrees. We're headed to Notrees, Texas."

Rick nodded but Penny was confused, "Why? I thought you were from Galveston?"

"I am but my Pop-pop is from Notrees," he said as if that should explain it all.

"Your…Pop-pop?" Penny asked slowly, hands on hips.

"My paternal grandfather."

Rick watched them with a slight smile as he leaned back against the truck, obviously amused by their back-and-forth.

"Oh and…you think he might be alive?" Penny asked, trying to make sense of it all.

Sheldon shook his head and looked down, "No, I have no reason to believe that he is alive and, in fact, it's statistically unlikely that he survived the outbreak unscathed."

"So why are we going there?" Penny asked impatiently.

"His residence is located in a rural locale with a low surrounding population and he'll have an adequate stock of supplies. My mother always said I inherited his 'preparedness' gene. Of course, that is an obvious fallacy considering there is not, in fact, any sort of 'preparedness' gene. But yes, Pop-pop has always been well-prepared for an end of the world scenario. Of course, his idea of the end of the world was the Commies taking over the country or the government trying to take his weapons but never the less…" Sheldon rambled on.

"Looks like the 'preparedness' gene wasn't all you inherited from him," Penny muttered and Sheldon just looked confused.

Rick grinned, "So, how long have you two been married?"

Penny's jaw dropped and they both sputtered in unison, "We're not married!"

He looked taken aback, "Oh…oh, sorry, I just thought…" he changed the subject quickly, "So, Notrees huh? I was born and raised about 30 minutes away from there in Odessa. Nice place, not much there. Probably a good place to ride this thing out."

"Well, you should stop by when you make it back from Indio with your brother. It can't hurt to stick together, I'm sure we'll both need all the help we can get," she smiled warmly at Rick, thinking about the scared little girl in the truck and all she'd been through.

He agreed, looking rather relieved to have some kind of connection in this new world. Penny bullied Sheldon into writing down directions to his Pop-pop's house for Rick and of course he ended up drawing a detailed map as well as sketching out a suggested route to help Rick get into Indio safely.

He was in the process of drafting some sort of preparedness plan when she tugged on his sleeve, "Alright, sweetie, Rick's probably ready to get going."

Rick offered her a shrewd smile before thanking Sheldon profusely and climbing back into his pickup with promises to see them soon. He waved goodbye and Sasha just peeked over her pillow as they headed back out onto the highway.

When the truck was out of sight, Penny turned to Sheldon, "Do you think they'll ever make it back?"

He squinted into the sun, covering his eyes with his hand, "If you had allowed me to complete the plan I was drafting, their probability of survival would have been significantly higher."

Penny chuckled, hopping towards the Tundra, "I'm sure. Well, let's get a move on, Sheldon. I can't wait to see this Notrees place."

He moved to follow her but paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a meticulously folded map, "Penny, before we continue on, I propose we replenish our stock of ammunition. As you may be aware, our supply is rapidly dwindling, thanks in no small part to your excessive and impractical usage of said supplies. Allowing it to drop any lower would be extremely imprudent as we have no way of knowing what lies ahead."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm the only one doing any shooting around here," he just frowned so she sighed and continued, "Okay, okay, Sheldon. Where do you suggest we do this replenishing?"

He was already consulting his map, "There should be a turnoff four miles down this highway that will lead us to a small settlement. Considering the exceedingly rural locale and the penchant for amassing weaponry in this part of the country, it should almost certainly contain a store stocking ammunition."

"Sounds dangerous," Penny grinned, sliding behind the wheel, "Let's go, cowboy."

* * *

"So, are we going to talk about what happened in the parking lot?"

Penny watched Sheldon out of the corner of her eye as she maneuvered the Tundra back up a narrow side street. Honestly, this place looked like some sort of Old West ghost town. They'd only encountered four of the infected so far and they'd been dispatched without incident. That had come in handy when they'd raided the tiny gun store and they now had a healthy supply of ammo, but it was starting to creep Penny out.

Sheldon twitched and turned to look out the window, fists clenching and unclenching as he said, "No."

"Why not?"

"It is highly likely that it would be an uncomfortable discussion which you would use to further disturb and demean me," he said in a quiet voice she'd never heard.

She slammed on breaks in the middle of the road, "Demean you? What do you mean? I wasn't trying to demean you, Sheldon!"

His head bobbled around nervously, "Then why did you…do what you did?"

"Sheldon, I kissed you because I wanted to," she said and he scoffed disbelievingly, turning away again as she added, "It just…felt right."

He kept his eyes averted, "Penny, you know I am uncomfortable with human contact, especially the sort of intimate behavior which you executed in the parking lot. Do you know how many germs are-"

She cut him off, "So if you hated it so much, why didn't you just pull away?"

Aghast at her insinuation, his head snapped towards her and his fists tightened again.

She smirked and threw the truck into park. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as she scooted closer to him, and then widened in shock as she threw her leg over his hips to straddle him.

"Penny!" he protested with a sharp intake of breath, his hands hovering uncertainly over her hips.

She settled down in his lap, careful of her bandaged ankle, and placed her hands on his shoulders. She felt the muscles tense under her touch and rubbed them absentmindedly, enjoying the heat of his skin through his t-shirt.

"Sheldon," she said softly, almost as a question, lowering her head until their foreheads touched.

His face felt hot against hers, like he had a fever, even though the icy air conditioning was blasting. She inhaled his scent deeply, biting her lip. She was used to Sheldon smelling soft and sort of powdery, like Ivory soap and laundry detergent. But the Sheldon beneath her smelled sharply of sweat and the outdoor air. Coupled with his scruffy chin and shaggy hair, there was no longer any doubt in her mind that Dr. Sheldon Cooper, former perpetual adolescent, was most definitely a grown-ass man.

On impulse, she dipped her head and pressed her lips against his for the second time that day. They weren't tight against his teeth like the first time they'd kissed, they were soft and wet and ready. She sucked his bottom lip gently, running her tongue over it. He exhaled a quick breath against her lips, shuddering when he inhaled. She lifted her head to look at him and found him all flushed and bright-eyed, looking surprised but not angry.

So she kissed him a bit more firmly, delighted when his head lolled back into her hands and his mouth opened to her. Her hips shifted against his as she rose up to follow his mouth, her fingertips running through his soft hair. With his lips parted, she seized the opportunity to slip her tongue against his and felt the earth seem to shift beneath them.

His tongue rolled tentatively against hers and, even though it was obvious he had no idea what he was doing, she couldn't help but moan. His mouth was intoxicating. By all rights, it should taste of the granola he'd recently eaten, but it didn't. It tasted as rich and sweet as honey but there was something more. It just tasted like…she couldn't describe it…it was just him, she decided.

Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched, startled sound emanate from the back of his throat and realized she was grinding her hips down into his, wanting more and more now that she'd had a taste. She knew she had to slow it down and reign in her "big ol' five" tendencies or she'd traumatize him for sure.

She broke the kiss to attach her lips to the pulse just below his ear, trying to cool things down but not ready to end it just yet. She ran her tongue over the pounding beat, tasting the saltiness of his skin as she felt his hands finally settle lightly on her hips. Her eyes fluttered open-

-and stared right into the set of eyes looking back at her, all black and blood red.

Penny sucked in a gasping breath, too startled to even scream. She tried to scramble away and found herself falling, her bottom half dropping into the floorboard by Sheldon's feet as her torso crashed into the dashboard. Throbbing pain shot through her ankle but that was the least of her worries.

The creature was peering in at them through the rear window, crouched over in the bed of the pickup, its head tilted with some kind of disturbing, primal curiosity. It shrieked and leapt onto the roof of the Tundra, its heavy footsteps rocking the truck.

Sheldon gasped out her name as she managed to right herself in the driver's seat and she followed his stunned gaze. The creature above them slithered down onto the hood and beyond it she could see three more circling. Another popped up by Sheldon's window, mouth stretched open in a growl that revealed its bloodstained teeth.

"Fuck, shit, fuck!" Penny muttered frantically under her breath.

She threw the truck into reverse, bumping over two more of the infected that had been coming up behind them, and careened backwards down the narrow street.

The creature slid off the hood but quickly jumped to its feet and rushed towards them, closely followed by the others. They vaulted as one over the fallen bodies of their comrades. Penny gritted her teeth and slammed the truck back into drive.

She gunned the engine and the tires squealed as the Tundra shot forward. She hit two of them hard as the other three stumbled aside and the sickening crunch of bones shattered by a great impact echoed down the street.

She didn't slow down until they were back out onto the open highway.

Only then did she dare to take a few deep breaths to calm herself before looking over at Sheldon. He looked a bit disheveled and agitated, but still not as bad she might have expected.

"So…that was nice," she finally said and he glanced over at her, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Nice? We were flanked by a pack of the infected and you didn't even notice because your mind was so muddled by the anticipation of coitus!"

She reached over to smack his shoulder and the truck swerved, "We were not going to have sex, you nutcase! And you didn't notice either! You were too busy kissing me back, Mr. Asexual!"

His cheeks flushed again and he double-checked his seat belt compulsively as he mumbled, "I just don't understand how you can continue to focus on something so insignificant when we're in a state of constant peril."

She felt a twinge of guilt that was quickly replaced by a surge of annoyance at him for trying to make her feel ashamed of perfectly natural impulses, "I'm sorry I can't be a robot like you, Sheldon, and never feel _anything_!"

His brows creased, "I feel things, Penny, and I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a robot."

She threw her hands up in exasperation, "So stop acting like one!"


	6. Chapter 6

**.x.x.x.**

* * *

Tense silence filled the cab of the Tundra for the next few miles. They were careful not to meet one another's eyes, though Penny could see Sheldon in her peripheral vision, glancing over at her when he thought she wasn't looking. She could feel his eyes scraping across her, no doubt taking readings and finding that things did not compute. So, maybe it was inevitable that all of that pressure would knock something loose.

The Tundra made some unsettling grinding, coughing noises and then rolled to an abrupt stop with steam pouring out from under its bloodstained hood. For a long moment, Penny sat behind the wheel and cursed the truck with every name under the sun as Sheldon proclaimed his astonishment at both the variety and vulgarity of her colorful language.

"What are the chances of this happening to us now?" She huffed, slamming her fist into the steering wheel.

"I could do the math if you'd like," he offered and she rolled her eyes.

She finally hobbled out to pop the hood and they both stared down at the hot, curving mass of plastic and metal with confusion etched across their faces. For all Sheldon's genius, he had never learned to fix a car and Penny had only done so with guidance from her father.

"Well, Dr. Cooper, what do we do now?" Penny asked sharply, hands on hips.

He frowned, "By my estimates, we've traveled approximately 14.3 miles from the gas station we visited earlier today."

"So?"

"So, without knowledge of what lies ahead but knowing that the great majority of the land along this route is uninhabited, and considering the formula for calculating risk which says that the level of risk present is a result of the probability of an accident occurring multiplied by the expected loss in the event of the accident, I believe the best solution would be to travel on foot back to the station and take possession of the car parked at the rear of the building."

"Oh," Penny nodded, thinking that she hadn't even noticed a car at the station, but then his words sank in, "Wait, you want us to walk 14 miles through the desert? I can't walk 14 miles, Sheldon! That's ridiculous! I could barely make one on this ankle!"

He fixed her with an impatient look, "Well then, what is your solution to our dilemma, Penny?"

She looked around helplessly at the empty land stretching for miles in both direction, "I don't know…I don't have one but that doesn't mean yours is so great."

He threw open the truck door and rambled on, "The average walking speed of the typical human being, which varies greatly depending on a number of factors, is approximately 3.1 miles per hour. Considering our relative lack of fitness, your injury, and the harsh conditions to which we will be exposed, I estimate that we'll be traveling at a speed of approximately 1.9 miles per hour. Allowing me to help support your weight will be necessary in hastening the process, of course. If my assumptions prove factual, it should take us roughly 7.526 hours to make it back. Well, 7.526 hours of constant motion. Rest time will undoubtedly be necessary and will certainly prolong the trip."

Penny only caught about half of that but she cursed anyway, "Doesn't it seem really dangerous? What if we run into a whole bunch of zombies?"

He shook his head, busy consolidating their necessary items into one bag, "That would be improbable. Considering the low population of the immediate area and the rural locale of the highway-"

She cut him off, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. And it's not like AAA is about to show up is it?"

"Not likely," he answered seriously, hoisting the fastidiously packed bag onto his scrawny shoulder before timidly sliding his arm around her waist.

* * *

They hobbled along without speaking for a while but the tension seemed to shed away as the sun crept down below the horizon. Penny took in Sheldon's clenched jaw and fists, his twitchy awkwardness, and started feeling a little bad.

He would probably say it was because their close contact was causing her brain to release some kind of oxy-whatever. Oh, God, she was starting to think like him.

In the silence that had settled between them, she had time to really think about Sheldon. He was equal parts honest, infuriating, sincere, obnoxious, and brilliant. And craziest of all, he didn't even realize when he was being rude or annoying. He was like a child in that respect, completely lacking in that sort of self-awareness. Well, except for his own brilliance…he was completely aware of that and why shouldn't he be? She still missed her family and friends terribly but suddenly, she realized, she was glad it was Sheldon at her side.

The dying rays of sun brought out the red tint in his dark hair and warmed his skin tone and he looked so vulnerable somehow. Not like a boy, no, not like a boy anymore, but like a man who'd lost his place in the world. She knew he should be in front of a whiteboard at home, scribbling out solutions to the mysteries of the universe instead of hauling her ass down a dusty highway.

"Look, I'm sorry, Sheldon," she had to force the words out of her mouth but then there they were, hanging in the dry desert air.

"For?" he raised a brow, his eyes coming to rest on hers.

She sighed, "For calling you a robot. And for making you uncomfortable, if I did."

Sheldon nodded, "Alright then. Apology accepted."

She raised a brow, "And? Aren't you going to apologize?"

"Me?" he looked shocked, "What for?"

She rolled her eyes, "Uh, for pretty much implying that I'm some kind of sex-crazed nympho and acting like I tried to rape you!"

"No, I implied nothing of the sort! I simply noted that-"

Penny held up a hand to stop him, "Sheldon, I know exactly what you said. And what you _said_ upset me. I just apologized for upsetting you and I meant it, so…"

She waited for his big brain to make the necessary connections.

He pondered her words for a moment, seeming to give them serious consideration, "Well, I was certainly not aware of the offensive implications of my earlier statements and I apologize if my words triggered a negative emotional reaction for that was not my intention."

"Do you mean that? No 'bazinga'?" she asked skeptically, watching his face those tell-tale tics.

There were none, "Yes, no 'bazinga'."

"Good, that's good, Sheldon," she waited a moment before asking, "So, did I make you uncomfortable? Did you really not want me to kiss you?"

He swallowed compulsively and glanced away, his arm tensing around her, "I admit, curiosity may have gotten the best of me but I shouldn't have allowed myself to succumb to my baser physiological urges, no matter how tempting."

She felt a smile twitching at her lips and she couldn't stop it from spreading across her face, "You think I'm tempting?"

His eyes flicked towards her and then fell away again.

"Sheldon, what's so wrong with having those urges and maybe even wanting to kiss somebody?" she finally asked when it became clear he wasn't going to answer her.

He sighed, "Penny, I know this is difficult for a purely instinctual creature such as you to understand but physical impulses get in the way of higher intellectual pursuits. They complicate matters; they require too much time and-"

She stopped in her tracks, forcing him to stop alongside her, "Well, in case you haven't noticed, all we have anymore is time. Lots and lots of time. And as for intellectual pursuits? It's not like you're going to be getting back to your lab anytime soon. The world has changed, Sheldon. Maybe…maybe we have to change too."

The light flared around them as the day gasped its last breath. He looked more lost than ever as some sort of bolt of realization seemed to strike him.

"That is a factor that I had not considered," he finally said, in a low, drawling voice, "I-I had not yet realized that my life's work is essentially over. All of the breakthroughs, all of the recognitions I've strived for in my lifetime have been for naught. I-I don't know what I'll do now…"

For a moment, she was terrified he was going to break down. No one could accuse him of being a robot now, Penny decided, considering the brightness of unshed tears in his big eyes.

"No," she reached for his hand and squeezed it between both of hers when he didn't recoil, "No, it doesn't have to be over. Not forever. It's just kind of over at the moment because everything is so crazy. But things will get better one day and you'll get back to it. The world is always going to need you, Sheldon, I promise. You're one of the greatest damn minds of your generation and you're damn sure going to prove that when the time comes."

He swallowed hard and finally looked up at her, the setting sun forming a fiery halo behind him. The corner of his mouth hitched upwards ever-so-slightly.

"You are remarkably proficient at offering words of consolation, Penny," he said in a soft voice and she smiled at this rare show of vulnerability on his part, pressing her palm against his rough cheek.

Then he straightened up and cleared his throat and Sheldon was back, "It's just a shame your emotional intelligence isn't supplemented by even a passing knowledge of worthwhile subjects."

Oh, leave it to Sheldon to ruin a moment. He peeked over at her with the slightest hint of an impish smile and she decided to kiss his cheek anyway.

* * *

They hobbled on for what seemed like a lifetime to Penny but what Sheldon assured her was actually only two and a half hours. The muscles and tendons in her good leg were screaming with pain from supporting too much of her weight and poor, scrawny Sheldon looked like he was ready to collapse at any second. The last straw came when she stumbled over a rock and nearly took them both down.

Dr. Cooper prescribed a period of rest and laid out a blanket from his bag. They settled down on it and ate fiber bars as they discussed the comforts they missed most. Penny wanted a hot bath, a bottle of wine, and a pizza. Sheldon wanted ten showers to start off with, his spot on the couch, and his mother's fried chicken.

After a disastrous round of Name That Element, Penny saw him trying to stifle a yawn and urged him to get some sleep while she kept watch, assuring him she wasn't tired at all and just needed to rest her ankle.

With some degree of hesitation, he finally curled up on his side and silence settled in around them.

Penny was left alone with her thoughts and the seconds seemed to pass like hours as she tried to piece together her feelings. The last few hours had been so strange that Penny had a hard time processing them but the gist of it all was…she'd kissed Sheldon and she'd liked it. And he, in his own convoluted Sheldon-kind-of-way, had practically admitted that he kind of liked it too. That was the real shocker of the evening. But what did that mean? What did it change? What happened now?

She found herself shivering and wasn't sure if it was a result of the slight chill in the air or the idea of the world changing around them.

"Sheldon, are you still awake?"

Penny's voice seemed too loud in the silence of the night.

He mumbled something and she watched his jutting shoulder blades flex beneath his worn t-shirt as he shifted his weight and grumbled.

"Sheldon, come on, I know you're awake!"

He huffed out a sigh and finally rolled over to face her, propping his head up on his fist. His eyes were dark and unreadable with the moonlight behind him.

"Yes, Penny?" he finally prompted in a sleepy voice.

"I'm cold," her words held perhaps a million connotations beyond their basic meaning, none of which, she knew, he would ever pick up on.

He stared at her blankly and, instead of explaining the non-optional social convention that applied in this situation, she reached over and shoved at his shoulder.

Baffled, he allowed her to push him over on his back and didn't even protest when she scooted onto her back right beside him, soaking up his warmth.

They were quiet for a moment until she felt his body relax beside her.

"If you'll take note of the angle of the horizon and the angle of my arm, I will help you find Polaris, more commonly known as the North Star," he offered and she nodded.

He lifted his arm to trace out a path across the starry sky as he explained how pole stars were used in celestial navigation and astrometry. Penny paid no mind to it. She was too busy craning her neck around to watch his face. The way those stars reflected in his huge blue eyes, the way the moonlight cast shadows in the hollows of his fine-boned face. The way the corners of his lips quirked upwards in an almost-smile as he spoke, his words and movements elegant and exact. He always knew what he wanted to say, even if it was usually something offensive or inappropriate. She liked that.

And she couldn't help but be fascinated by his knowledge of the universe. It was something she had always known he possessed, part of the whole "beautiful mind" thing, but since she didn't understand it she'd never really given it a second thought.

But now she was kind of charmed by it all, watching his gaze move across the infinite night sky with the kind of comfortable familiarity she could never imagine possessing for something so huge and mysterious. How could he possibly understand the complex inner workings of things he couldn't even see? It was somehow both frightening and beautiful.

After a moment, she realized he was staring over at her and repeating her name patiently, "Penny? Penny? Penny?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you see Ursa Major?" His perceptive eyes scanned her face before turning skyward again.

"Of course," she whispered, snuggling into his side and laying her head on his chest to listen to the drumming of his heart.

He allowed it, and after a moment, his arm settled lightly around her.

Yeah, this was progress.


End file.
